Hammonjj

I'm purchasing a road bike this weekend that has a set of Stan's Alpha 340 Clincher wheels. Tubeless is always something I've wanted to mess with as a roadie, so it's exciting to finally get the chance! I do have a few questions for the knowledgeable mechanics out there (NOTE: I am the crappiest mechanic alive)!

1) I've only managed to find a few videos of converting the rims to tubeless and they were all mountain bike wheels. Is converting a road wheel any different?
2) If the tire goes flat during a ride, can I just throw a tube in the rim and pump it up? Is there anything special I need to have on hand to do this?
3) What are my tire choices like when going tubeless? I don't seem to find any "tubeless" specific road tires, am I missing something here?

Thanks!
James

fronesis

I'm not sure, but I don't think it's much different. Read up on the Stan's site, as they have lots of details here.

Correct. It will be messier, but otherwise just put a tube in it.

You are right, there aren't that many choices. But there are a few if you look harder. I've never ridden tubeless, but I'm considering the same move you're making.

well biked

Look harder. Hutchinson makes them from 23-28mm in a few different models, Maxxis makes the Padrone, Schwalbe's entered the market, there are probably more. With your Alpha rims, the only prep is a couple of layers of Stan's yellow tape in the appropriate width. Use a couple ounces of Stan's sealant, might require an air compressor for initial inflation, and you're good to go. Avoid tire levers if at all possible during installation, or if you do need them, try and take care not to damage the tire's bead. We've found the Maxxis tires, in particular, to be easy to damage when installing. Hutchinson's are my favorites, I've used various models for thousands of miles with great results.

alcjphil

I have been riding road tubeless for over 3 years now, however I have been using Campagnolo 2way fit wheels, so I have no experience with converting wheels to tubeless. With practice it is possible to mount tires without tools, it is no more difficult than some standard clinchers. If you have a flat, all you have to do is to remove the tubeless valve and install an inner tube. I don't usually use sealant so fixing a flat isn't messy. Some people use sealant which can easily seal up small punctures, so flats can be very rare. Road tubeless tires pretty much eliminate pinch flats as well so all you really have to worry about are major tire cuts which would also be a problem with conventional clinchers. There are quite a few road tubeless brands available now. Hutchinson was first on the market and they also manufactured tires for Specialized. Bontrager, Maxxis, Schwalbe, IRC are other brands that I know of that make road tubeless tires

well biked

Just to be clear about Stan's Notubes rims: all of Stan's rims are considered "tubeless ready," whether road, mountain, cyclocross, etc. So there's no conversion process, just put the yellow tape in and go. It will work with tubeless or an inner tube. With road tubeless it's the tires that make the setup work, not anything special about the rims in most cases. You do have to use a tubeless capable rim strip, such as Stan's yellow tape, unless there are no spoke holes, but that's the case for road rims that are marketed as "tubeless ready" or not, when setup tubeless. You can run many road clincher rims tubeless, for example, after a applying a couple of layers of the Stan's yellow rim tape, even if the rims aren't advdertised as "tubeless ready." The key with road tubeless is the tires, the bead is made to withstand road pressures and remain completely airtight. The term "tubeless ready" in regard to road rims really just indicates that the rim's shape is optimized for tubeless (wide rims for high volume, channel of rim not too deep, etc).

shelbyfv

You might want to check that your weight is appropriate for those rims before you put much money into this. The only person I know who rides those can't weigh more than 110 and she's broken one or more. Lots of "info" on the web if you search.

Hammonjj

I'm ~140, so I would like to hope I wouldn't break them from normal use, but thanks for the heads up!

pearcem

I just got my Stan's wheels yesterday. I ordered the Grail since I have disc brakes and exceed the weight limit for the 340. The grail is a little different, but essentially replaced the fully built A400 wheels. If you buy the wheels, not just the rims, they should be ready to go for tubeless. This means they will have tubeless compatible valves and have the yellow tape installed. Not sure about just buying the rims.

As far as tires, Stan's sells kits on their website that have everything you need. 4 different Hutchinsons to choose from, ranging from 23-28mm. They come with 2 valves, extra tape, and two bottles of sealant. Overall, it was a pretty easy set up, and now I have new tubeless wheels for my morning ride. One tire was easy to get on, and one was a lot tougher. I was able to get both tires' beads to seat with a floor pump at about 50 psi with the soapy water method.

As far as a tube for a flat, all you need to do is put a tube in, remove the valve (no tools needed), and re-inflate. One thing to note: When i deflated the tires to add the sealant, one bead kept popping off the rim. I emailed Stan's to make sure there was nothing to worry about, and they said that it was fine, that was fairly common with road tires, and not a safety issue. But, if you fully deflate your tires for some reason with the sealant in, and the bead comes off, it will make quite the mess.